Google has a secret place: Google Labs. It is not well known to most humans. This is the place some insiders refer to as the “playground” for Google engineers. For those of you who have never explored Google in the past, other than using Google Search, you are now in for a real treat inside Google’s Labs. Come on and check out the programs.

Let’s head to http://www.googlelabs.com and see what Google is currently testing. Here you will find twenty five software programs you can try and use for free.

FAST FLIP: (http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/) This program is one of my favourites. When you click open this program you are before a magazine stand displaying various newspapers and magazines with current content. You just click on one and begin your reading experience.

Newspapers and magazines are beginning to suffer due to their content being displayed on the Internet, Google feels this service can help. Tony Bradley of PCWorld reiterates that “Google feels that recreating the print media experience online will attract more readers and help its partner publishers transition more smoothly to delivering information over the Internet”. Time will tell, but for now, give this program a go and enjoy the FREE newspapers and magazines on your very own news stand.

GOOGLE NEWS TIMELINE: (http://newstimeline.googlelabs.com) This is another collection of news media presentations wherein you find the major stories of the day. Timeline is also a news “time machine” where you drag the dates and go back in time. A calendar allows you to change dates from DAY, WEEK, and YEAR to see how a subject changes over a certain period of time. According to cnet.com this “project is the baby of Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original designers of the Apple Macintosh software and something of a Silicon Valley icon”. It is a definite program to keep an eye on.

SIMILAR IMAGES: (http://similar-images.googlelabs.com) Is a fun program where you type in a name, place, or whatever you choose to retrieve “similar” images. I typed in “sarnia, ontario” and was amazed at the tons of photos that people have uploaded to the Internet. In fact, there are “about 467,000” Sarnia related pictures found in that search. Type in your own name and include sarnia, ontario and see the many times your related photo has been uploaded to the Internet. To check your name type it like this: “gregory west” sarnia, ontario (include the quotation marks). This is a good time waster and it is an interesting program, to say the least.

There are twenty two more programs to check out. Some of my other favourites are: Google Mars, Google Trends, and Google Dashboard Widgets for Mac to go nicely with my Macbook. Remember, this is Google’s “playground” and the programs are in the beta or test mode and are not ready for prime time just yet.

I have decided not to use Apple’s Boot Camp and have now purchased a 3rd. party app called Parallels.

My Macbook will now be also a virtual machine running Windows XP Pro, Windows Visa Home Premium and Ubuntu Linux. All in a virtual mode using Parallels.

I have installed Windows Vista Home Premium thus far and it works like a charm. In fact any windoze operators would die if they saw that my Vista operating system opens as fast as you can turn on a lamp light. BAMB its on!

First of all, let me say that I am thoroughly disgusted with Apple Care techs.
I won’t even talk about the upwards of 3 hours I spent waiting on the phone today waiting to get a tech, but what I want to say is the service is below an acceptable standard.

I will get back to this later on, for now I want to discuss the problem that 3 Apple Care techs acted as if they knew nothing of what I was talking about.

I activate Boot Camp Assistant, Load Windows Vista. After Vista loads it looks for drivers. I am then instructed to insert driver disc (Leopard). The problem is (and the problem these techs would not acknowledge or listen to) that I cannot eject the Windows disc to insert the Leopard disc for the drivers. The problem is that simple – the solution seems to be a wonderment or a secret.

So, I decided to seek the tech support I paid good money for…That is when more problems from Apple transpired.

After an hour wait I got a tech (who gave me the wrong case number) who had no idea what I was talking about. He kept saying it was a Windows issue and not Boot Camp. Finally, after about 30 minutes on the phone he said I was a Canadian and I had somehow been transferred to the American Apple Care and he then transferred me. This was another 30 minute or so wait until I got Apple Care tech Alec. Who acted the same way. For these guys to say “I don’t do Windows” is wrong. Apple created Boot Camp for users to load Windows. They advertise this and they advertise the ease in which it is loaded. But when you seek help they play dumb and say they are not Windows guys that is truly not acceptable.

For any Mac reps who may be monitoring this post, this here is my case number I was given by tech Alec: 9150493, but guess what, he the other tech left out one digit and thus the number is incomplete. This “Alec” told me that to take a picture of the desktop with the problem and then call him back at: 1-800-275-2273 88 then extension 2210. Little did I know this was a lie. I tried that number and it is the same number I called for Apple Care before. The person who finally answered (after another 30 minutes) said I was not authorized to use that number.

At this point I gave up.

Now I am wondering why I spent good money buying the extended Apple Care tech support when these people do not support Boot Camp.